Every once in a while someone will say “My brother/husband/friend/neighbor wants to come and see you but doesn’t want to have x-rays.” This person will either choose not to see a chiropractor period or see someone who chooses to see patients without x-rays. [Read more…]

I don’t know how some doctors do it. Most oncologists have never had cancer. Most orthopedic surgeons have never gone under the knife. Few therapists have ever fought overseas and experienced post traumatic stress disorder. It must be hard to have empathy if you’ve never experienced the condition for yourself.

The White stuff is here in West Michigan and it’s getting cold outside. Its is a time for sledding, snowmen, skiing, snowball fights, and school cancellations. It is also a time for weather-related slips, trips, and falls on icy surfaces. These injuries can trigger (or re-aggravate) spinal problems. This can lead to neck pain, back pain, sciatica, and headaches. Of course, the doctors of Zehr Chiropractic are well equipped to treat these when injuries when we see them, but the following steps may help you prevent such an injury.

Steroid injections are a very commonly used tool in the medical community for dealing with lower back pain, but does this seemingly safe practice have a downside? Well, according to a recent study, steroid injections may pose an increased risk of vertebral fracture in older adults. In other words, a broken back.

Have you ever gotten out of a car after several straight hours of driving and felt like your back was as stiff as a board? Now imagine if you already have an underlying spinal issue. This magnifies this effect greatly. Let’s face it: the human spine was not designed to sit hunched over a steering wheel for hours at a time.

I know, I know. Although it is now officially “spring,” it doesn’t feel like it in West Michigan. But spring sports are getting ramped up, regardless. Fields are literally being plowed for soccer tryouts. I’ve seen kids out jogging in slushy streets to get ready for track season. I have already seen some high school kids with injuries that were caused during their first few days of practice. The risk of this happening increases if they didn’t play a winter sport. Here are some tips to help prevent some of these problems from showing up in the first place.

Let’s face it. Health care is expensive. Consequently, health insurance is expensive. Health care related expenses are taking a bigger chunk out of every family’s budget and medical bills are one of the most common causes of bankruptcy in America. The debate over what to do about it is a heated one these days. Unfortunately, while most people are arguing about WHO pays for it, we should be trying to figure out how to decrease our need for medical care, which is the only real way to decrease the associated costs.

Norton Shores Michigan Chiropractor – Whether you are at the grocery store, in church, or at a family gathering, ou have heard someone complain that their “arthritis is acting up.” If you watch television, ou have no doubt seen hundreds of commercials selling pills, lotions, and potion designed to combat this problem. But what is arthritis? What causes it? Who gets it? What really helps? Can it be prevented?

In my chiropractic practice, I see prolonged sitting as a constant cause of back pain, neck pain, and headaches in my patients who are chained to a desk all day. I see this a lot in young professionals whose bodies are not used to being stuck in this new position. I encourage them to get up and move around every 15 minutes. I show them exercises they can do to help keep the muscles loose and warmed up. But what about older adults? Should they be worried about spending too much time on their fanny?

“I don’t want to offend you, but I want to ask you something. As a chiropractor, are you one of those really holistic people?”

I got this question from a guy I recently met. To be honest, I didn’t quite know how to answer him. I couldn’t give him a “yes” or “no” because I had no idea what he meant by the term holistic. To some, the term holistic conjures up images of people who completely shun modern medicine and technology, choosing to live like a hippie in a commune; dreadlocks, infrequent bathing, hemp necklaces, homemade clothing, etc.